How to Make Machine Embroidered Free-Standing Lace

Written by ronna pennington

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Machine-embroidered lace can be made to resemble hand-crocheted lace. (Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images)

Free-standing lace created on an embroidery machine can be as beautiful as hand-crocheted lace and much less time-consuming to make. Machine-embroidered free-standing lace is a nice accent on clothing. Many designs can be used alone to create holiday ornaments, bookmarks, small jewellery charms or various home decor items. The embroidery machine creates free-standing lace by making repetitive stitches on water-soluble stabiliser. Depending on your embroidery machine and your lace design pattern, you may be able to adjust how wide or narrow the free-standing lace is.

Skill level:

Moderately Easy

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Things you need

Embroidery machine

Embroidery hoops

Free-standing lace digitised design

Water-soluble stabiliser

Embroidery thread

Bobbin thread

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Instructions

Prepare to Stitch

1

Find and acquire a machine-embroidery pattern for free-standing lace that is compatible with your embroidery machine.

2

Determine the colour or colours of embroidery thread you will use for your free-standing lace.

3

Make bobbins for each of the thread choices you selected. The bobbin thread will need to match the top thread.

4

Perform any required pre-embroidery maintenance required for your machine (such as oiling the bobbin case or dusting the needle plate).

Stitch the Lace

Open the free-standing lace design on your computer display and determine which size hoop you will need to use.

3

Set the design to continue. Many free-standing lace designs do not recommend resizing the design. Check specific instructions with your design to determine if resizing is acceptable.

4

Thread the machine with the selected colours and insert the first bobbin. You will change the bobbin to match the upper thread each time your design changes colours.

5

Put water-soluble stabiliser in the appropriate size hoop. Tighten the hoop to secure the stabiliser. Insert the hoop and begin stitching the pattern. When the machine has completed the stitching, remove the hoop and the stabiliser from it. Rinse in cold water to remove the stabiliser. Lay the lace flat to dry.

Tips and warnings

The best water-soluble stabiliser to use for machine-embroidered lace is the kind that looks like thin interfacing, not the kind that looks like thin sheets of plastic.

Never put your hands near the embroidery machine needle during stitching.

Make sure the stabiliser is hooped tightly to avoid it slipping and ruining the design.